Disaster Sanitation – What Can Water Utilities Do?

Friday, May 3, 2019

Disaster sanitation should be on the radar for every drinking water utility.Infectious disease transmission or outbreaks may be seen days, weeks or even months after the onset of the disaster.

The main causes of communicable diseases:

• Presence of pathogens

• Displacement of population

• Change in environment

• Disruption of basic public utilities

• Lack of basic health services

• Food shortage

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2725828/

What’s the risk?

• In the US, diarrheal illness was noted after Hurricanes Allison and Katrina

• Norovirus, Salmonella, and toxigenic and nontoxigenic V. cholerae were confirmed among Katrina evacuees.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2725828/

What’s the issue?

• Disruption of basic public utilities—water and wastewater services.

• Disease is spread by direct contact or contamination of drinking water.

• Customers may need to live without a working toilet for weeks or months.

• In the meantime, what should they do with pee and poo?

Proactive or reactive?

Health Services Starts in Recovery

Health Services Needs to Start Here!

What’s the solution?• The Regional Disaster

Preparedness Organization (RDPO) developed a solution for what to do with pee and poo.

• The “twin bucket system”

• Two standard 5-gallon buckets with snap-on seats – one for pee and one for poo.

• Be prepared ahead of the disaster!

Photo credit: Columbia County Medical Reserve Corps

What are the benefits?

• Developed in Christchurch, New Zealand after the February 2011 earthquake.

• Simple, cheap and effective.

• The key: separates pee and poo.

• Lessens volume and odor, making bucket contents safer and easier to store and dispose.

• Ideal for dense urban areas with limited open space and locations with a high water table.

https://ajem.infoservices.com.au/items/AJEM-27-04-07

Who is the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO)?

Mission: build and maintain regional disaster preparedness capabilities in the Portland Metropolitan Region…

Vision: a secure and disaster-resilient region in which local agencies, organizations, and communities are coordinated and prepared to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards of great risk to the Portland Metropolitan Region.

Who created the content?

• RDPO’s Regional Disaster Sanitation Task Force to develop guidelines.

• Regional Disaster Preparedness Messaging Task Force developed materials.

• Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant

Regional Disaster Sanitation Task Force

• Sue Mohnkern, Washington County Public Health

Regional Disaster Preparedness Messaging Task Force

• Felicia Heaton (now with Portland Water Bureau)

• Cynthia Valdivia, Washington County Dept. of Health and Human Services

• Denise Barrett, Director, Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO)

• Adrienne Schmidt, RDPO

• Jamie Hays, Clackamas County Disaster Management

• Eric Frank, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (Vancouver)

• Alice Busch, Multnomah County Emergency Management

• Kendall Martin, Metro

• Renate Garrison, City of Beaverton

• Katy Wolf, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management

What were the Regional Disaster Sanitation Task Force assumptions?• The number of portable toilets required far outreaches

the initial availability.

• Sewage systems will be partially or fully out of service for many months.

• Methods for handling sanitation must be simple, cheap, and effectively limit exposure to the waste.

• Buckets in use for the first 2-4 weeks.

• Within 30 days of the initial disaster, local governments should be in a position to provide further messaging and instructions regarding human waste.

What were the project goals?

1. Build awareness and understanding

2. Get people prepared to take care of their needs

3. Develop materials that engage people of all backgrounds, cultures, literacy levels and ADA requirements.

4. Consider barriers to understanding and participation.

5. Create a variety of outreach tools and methods that can be sustainably implemented by regional organizations.

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Why red and blue?

Red: An “attention-grabbing” color Energetic and vividCreates emotions: alarm, hazard, danger—as well as love

Blue:An “official” colorPeople have a positive association with bluePeaceful, tranquil, secure, calm and orderlyAssociated with reliability and loyalty

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Is red/blue is a good combo for people with color blindness?

Color Combos to Avoid

o Green & Red

o Green & Brown

o Blue & Purple

o Green & Blue

o Light Green & Yellow

o Blue & Grey

o Green & Grey

o Green & Black

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What communication tools can be used?

• Social media

• Website

• Television, radio ads

• Newspaper ads

• News releases

• Stickers, posters, postcards, brochures

• Interactive activities

• Giveaways

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rdpo.net/emergency-toiletWhere can you get these materials?

Could your agency help spread the word?